Coming Home
by Young BUDDHA
Summary: Tales of the Abyss After three years, Luke appears again in front of his friends at Tataroo Valley. What has he been doing all this time, and how has the world changed in his absence?


**Title: **_Coming Home_

**Summary: **_After three years, Luke appears again in front of his friends at Tataroo Valley. What has he been doing all this time, and how has the world changed in his absence?_

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"Luke..." Tear had her back faced to the red-haired youth. "I love you." Her voice was quieter. The words were more an admission to herself more than a confession to Luke.

Luke didn't seem to hear her. His back was turned and his mind was focused on the task at hand. He unsheathed the Sword of Lorelei and, sucking in a breath, stuck it into the ground. A fonic glyph spread at his feet.

"Tear!" Guy yelled. Tear reluctantly followed the rest of the group on their way out of Eldrant. Looking back, the last she saw was a brilliant golden light shooting into the heavens.

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Three years had passed since that day. Three years of sitting, waiting, and wishing. And now, here before them, stood Luke. Or somebody who looked like Luke. Something seemed... different about him.

Tear walked toward this figure, trying to fight down the dreadful hope that was rising within her.

"Why are... you here?"

The figure looked to the side, as if to gesture to their surroundings.

"This place has a nice view of Hod."

Then he looked forward and met Tear's gaze with his own.

"And also, I promised someone."

Tear tried to stifle a sob, but tears seemed to leak through despite her best efforts. She took a single step forward, then another. She finally abandoned all restraint and ran forward to meet him. Luke caught Tear in his outstretched arms and twirled her around once, holding her close to his body. He was taller now, and this action lifted Tear's feet clear off the ground. When he set her down, she still clung to him, as if she was afraid he would slip through her grip and disappear for real.

"I missed you so much. How could you have kept me waiting so long, you idiot?" the sound of her voice was muffled due to the fact that her face was still pressed into his chest.

"I know, I'm sorry," Luke spoke down at the top of her head. "I missed you, too."

They held each other for a few more seconds before a long-haired man obnoxiously cleared his throat. "Not to interrupt this oh-so-tender moment, but I think the rest of us would like to have our turn with Luke, as well," Colonel Jade Curtiss had a look of mock-exasperation on his face.

Tear's face immediately turned red and she stepped backwards out of Luke's embrace. Luke shot a look of pure irritation at Jade.

"What, you want a hug, too?" Luke deadpanned.

"Certainly not, I wouldn't want to catch anything. Why, I don't even know where you've been these past three years! Quite unsanitary."

"Oh, shut up, Jade." Luke's trained his irritated expression on Jade for a few more seconds before it changed into one of shock. "D-Did you just say three _years!?_ I've been gone for three years!?"

"Uh, yes. In fact, today was your coming of age ceremony." Natalia spoke up from beside Jade.

"Oooooh," Luke sunk to the ground with a moan, his hands covering his face. "Three years... damn..." Luke mumbled to himself.

Tear kneeled next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, her brows knotted in confusion. At her touch he looked up into her eyes.

"Well, then how long do you think it's been?" Tear asked him.

"I figured six _months_ at the most. Damnit, I must have really been out of it. Guess that explains the hair, too..."

"How did you lose that much time? What happened after you freed Lorelei?" Jade fired off the questions right after one another.

Luke took a minute to gather his thoughts, then responded, "Well..."

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Luke looked around at the transparent bubble that seemed to be slowly carrying him down. He observed the crumbling of Hod's inner structure, idly wondering if he would be able to keep his promise. He wasn't seriously worrying about his death, though. Whatever was keeping him in this bubble would most likely do a good enough job of keeping any overly ambitious pieces of flagstone out. Peering upwards, he noticed a figure falling directly towards him. A flash of red confirmed his first guess – it was Asch's body. What a strange coincidence that only Asch would fall towards him now. He figured that it was the work of Lorelei. Asch's body hit the top of the bubble with a muted thud and then slowly fell through, neatly landing in Luke's waiting arms. Luke gazed upon Asch's face and felt the blood soaking through his clothes.

There was a flash of gold light. The light swirled around him and gathered in a single spot.

"So, the world did not vanish. To think, that the future I foresaw would be rewritten. You have done admirably." The source of the voice seemed to be the light. Lorelei?

Before he could ponder this further or even respond, the light began to swirl around them both. Luke felt his own body start to fade and observed Asch's arm twitching. He blacked out before he could gain a full understanding of what was happening.

Luke awoke with a groan and a pounding headache. He couldn't tell how much time had passed. He looked to his surroundings, trying to ignore the screaming pain in his head. He seemed to be in a chasm of some kind. Stone structures in varying degrees of destruction surrounded him. He guessed that these were the ruins of Hod. Of Eldrant. Light shone from an opening that he estimated to be about 50 feet above. He slowly sat up, trying to ignore the aches and pains within his body. He tried to stand and finally realized how much his arms and legs really _hurt. _He immediately plopped back down on his rear. He felt extremely weak. Looking down at his body, he noticed that his once well-muscled stomach was now flat and lacking definition. What the hell happened to him?

_Muscle atrophy..._

Yes, it seemed to be that. But... muscle atrophy? When had he learned what that term meant? He couldn't remember where or when he heard it before. Luke creased his brows in frustration. Just where had he-

_He was holding a young blond girl's hand and promising to work together to improve their country. He was looking, confused, up at his respected mentor's face and asking where he was being taken. He was being beaten and battered, forged into an effective killing machine. He was exploding with anger, wanting nothing more than to kill the one who stole his face and his life. He was fighting the one he had called "master", wishing things could be like before this all started. He was... he was..._

"Asch?"

Luke was curled into a fetal position, clutching his head. Those... _images_, where did they come from? They were simultaneously strange and familiar. He realized for the first time that Asch's body was nowhere in sight. Now that he had found these memories in his brain there was no way to ignore them again. The images whirled in his head. The thoughts whirled in his head. Most confusing of all were the emotions that whirled in his head. The hurt, the loneliness, the anger. Oh, the _anger_. White-hot rage burned in his head, burned in his chest. He wanted to _hurt _somebody.

"W-Who... am I?"

_Luke... I think it's time that you saw your friends. _...Lorelei?

"I'm... Luke. That's right. Luke." The name felt comfortable on his tongue. It was _his _name, he knew that for sure. "Luke."

Still in a daze, he managed to sit up. The pain was easier to ignore now. He slowly stood. His legs were still strong enough to support him. He walked over to the chasm's wall and began to attempt climbing.

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The group was now seated around a fire which had been started soon after the beginning of his story and was just now beginning to die down. All seemed lost in their own thoughts.

Guy piped up, "So you're some kind of mix of Asch and Luke?" He looked tired. A new person, neither Asch nor Luke? That would mean his best friend really was gone forever. More loss...

Natalia's eyes were a mix of hope and guilt. Asch could be back, even if it was only a part of him. He wasn't gone forever. She had feelings for Luke, too. She felt guilty for thinking about it, but even if the both of them as individuals were gone, she could learn to...

Tear's face changed into one of terror before quickly being reset into a default emotional mask. What if this was more Asch than Luke? Why had he hugged her, just to mess with her mind? Why had he mentioned their promise?

Luke was silent, viewing the interplay of emotions on their faces. Jade's eyes seemed to twinkle behind his glasses, inscrutable as ever. Anise only had her head cocked, her face showing an expression of interest. She was waiting for him to finish the story.

"No," Luke finally ended the silence. "Like Lorelei said when he spoke to me in that pit – I'm Luke fon Fabre, the one and only. Asch died in Eldrant."

Natalia looked down at the ground. Guy looked relieved, but Tear still seemed wary.

"Oh? Then what about his memories?" Jade inquired.

"Well, it was really confusing at first, sorting his memories from mine. I just thought of all that stuff as happening to "Me", but now I had more than twice as many things that happened to me. I had only been alive for seven years, while he had seventeen years of experiences that were all crammed into my skull at once. It hurt. A lot. I sort of..." Luke trailed off, looking off into space. How should I put this?

"I sort of had to go through all my memories one-by-one, separating what happened to me and what happened to him and file them separately. I still knew who I was, and I was still able to distinguish what happened to him from what happened to me, if I thought about it. Like there was this little voice in the back of my head going 'Hey, that never happened!' or 'I remember that!'. Eventually the confusion was gone completely and I was entirely myself again."

Luke decided not to mention the confusing dreams he had those first nights. An image of a half-clothed Natalia beckoning to him to "come fix more than just her country" came to his mind. _You were one weird dude, Asch._

Jade nodded, as if the answer wasn't that surprising to him. _Fits the big bang to a T..._

He moved on to the next item of his curiosity. "You said that your muscles had significantly atrophied by the time you woke up. Just how long were you sleeping, anyway? It would take quite a long time for muscles to deteriorate to that level."

"You guys say it's been three years, right? I must have been out like a light for at least two and a half. I honestly figured that my muscles and the hair were both just side-effects of my fusing with Asch." Luke explained.

"Interesting. The big bang effect should not take that long to complete itself... perhaps a side-effect of Lorelei's ascent into the Fon Belt? And to go two years without sustenance? Hmm... more studies must be..." Jade trailed off, mumbling to himself.

Luke stared at Jade for a few seconds before turning his head to address the rest of the group.

"Anyway, I spent the remainder of the time until I got here trying to climb out of the pit. At the beginning I couldn't even swing my sword properly or do a pushup. A lot of it was just exercising and scavenging food from the ruins and any monsters that happened to fall in. When I was finally strong enough to make it to the top I realized for sure that I was still at Eldrant. The sea was all around me. I jumped in and started swimming for land. It didn't take long, I reached the nearest beach in a few hours."

"How did you know to come here? It's pretty strange that you'd just happen to show up at one of the few times we'd all be in one spot," Anise spoke up for the first time tonight.

"I didn't really know that I'd end up here. It kind of felt like I should really start walking in a certain direction, so I just went with it." Luke turned a little red. He didn't mention that he thought he was hearing Tear's voice calling him.

Anise grinned teasingly. "It must be fate, my rich husband-to-be! The power of our love drew us closer together!"

A worried expression crossed Luke's face. "But... a-at Eldrant, you said that-!"

Anise broke into laughter, cutting him off. ""You're too easy, Luke."

Luke leaned back, an inaudible sigh of relief escaping from his lips. The fire had died down by this point. It's light was slowly being replaced by the sun rising to the east. He stretched his arms and yawned.

Natalia stood up, "Well, we should probably head back now. They are probably getting worried back in Baticul."

Guy stood up as well. "Yeah, we can fill you in about how our lives have been going on the way back."

They both turned and began walking towards the Valley's exit. Luke raised an eyebrow at their retreating backs. A thought occurred to him.

"Aren't they walking kind of close together?" Luke looked around at the remaining members of the group.

Jade grinned and stood up. "Oh-ho-ho, it appears our dear Luke's powers of observation have increased some in his absence."

"You mean...?"

"It depends on what you think I mean."

Luke ignored his evasive comment. "But what about Asch?"

"Natalia has been probably been struggling with that little dilemma herself. Guy didn't seem happy when she looked excited about you being him, either. Be sure not to mention anything about you knowing to them. They think they're keeping it a secret."

"Hmm... something like this could improve Kimlasca-Malkuth relations, couldn't it?" Luke asked.

"Hardly," Jade replied, "Natalia is next in line to the throne. Neither Ingobert nor any Kimlascan would accept a Malkuth citizen as their next king. Not only that, but Guy is from a no-name noble family that supposedly perished with Hod. If anything, something like this could start a war. It's impossible."

"W-wait... you guys aren't saying what I think you're saying, right?" Anise stood up and looked between the two long-haired men, one sitting and one standing.

"It depends -" Jade started

"-On what you think we're saying." Luke finished, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He met Jade's annoyed expression with a defiant grin.

"Guy and Natalia? _Guy and_ _Natalia?_" Anise put her hands to her head. She seemed to have trouble wrapping her mind around the concept.

"Now, now. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, as the saying goes. I'm sure you'll be able to hook one through the cheek and reel his writhing body into your grasp eventually." Jade said.

Anise looked up into Jade's eyes with a blank expression. "You're seriously twisted, you know that?"

"W-well... we should get going before they leave us behind." Jade said quickly. He briskly began to walk in the direction that Guy and Natalia headed off in. Anise shook her head and sighed, following closely behind him.

Luke watched them walk for a while, then turned to the person sitting next to him. Tear was staring at the ground, with the far-off unfocused expression of one who was lost in thought.

"Hey," Luke said.

Tear jumped a little, startled. "Oh, yes? What? Sorry." Her eyes turned their gaze from the ground and met Luke's.

"What's wrong? You haven't spoken in a while," Luke looked a little concerned.

"It's nothing, it's just... " Tear chewed on the bottom of her lip. Luke waited for her to continue.

"You're really back, right? The others seem to be taking this so calmly, but..." her voice cracked. She took a second to rein in her emotions. "I can't believe you're just showing up like this after three years. Have I gone crazy? You're really Luke, right? You're not a figment of my imagination, right?" Tear looked desperately into his eyes.

Luke felt a sharp stab of guilt. He stood up without saying anything, dusting off his pants. He offered a hand out to help Tear up, which she accepted. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"This isn't like you, Tear. You're getting so emotional over an idiot like me?"

"I-" Tear began.

"No, wait," Luke took a deep breath. "I don't know how I can make up for leaving you for three years. All I can tell you is that I'm here, and I'm real. I've come home. I can prove it."

And to drive his last statement home, he quickly leaned forward and planted a kiss full on Tear's lips. Luke pulled back and looked into her eyes, which were now wide with surprise.

"Tear, I've been wanting to tell you this since I woke up. I love you, too."

Tear shut her eyes tight. Teardrops began to stream down her face.

Luke felt dread rising in his stomach. "Oh, no. You're crying. I shouldn't have done that. I heard you wrong on Hod, didn't I? Oh, damn. I'm so _stupid_."

Tear shook her head and buried her face in his chest. "Idiot. I almost never cried before I met you, you know that?"

Luke looked a little apprehensive. "So..."

Tear wiped the tears from her eyes and drew back, fixing Luke with a determined gaze. "You heard right on Hod."

Luke's body relaxed. He leaned down again for another kiss, his movements slower and more deliberate. This time her lips met his halfway.

"Hey you two! If you're going to be getting physical there are better places to do it than a dirty forest!" A young girl's voice called out from the thicket in front of them.

Tear's face turned red again and stepped away from Luke. "W-we weren't doing anything like _that!"_

"What, you don't want to?" Luke whined, teasing her.

Tear turned and glared at him. Luke smirked. Tear then balled up a fist and punched him in the arm, hard. He stumbled a bit, holding the side of his shoulder.

"Ow..." Note to self; do not piss off women trained in the military.

"Idiot." Tear walked on without him, passing Anise and Jade. Luke followed behind her.

"Real smooth there, Luke. You sure have a way with the ladies." Anise smiled mockingly at the red-haired man. Luke walked past her, shooting a glare.

They walked that way for a while, Tear a few yards ahead of Luke, Jade and Anise. Guy and Natalia must have not bothered waiting. Tear suddenly stopped and turned around. The three stopped walking as well. They looked at her expectantly.

"That stuff earlier about Natalia isn't just political theorizing, you know. Ingobert is getting old, and he needs a male heir to continue his rule. The air has been cleared involving Natalia's legitimacy to the throne, but the people won't want to see her take it alone." Tear said.

"What does that have to do with me?" Luke asked.

Tear looked at Jade. He sighed. Jade hated explaining things. "There will be enormous pressure for you to marry Natalia. It is a match made in heaven for the people, you know. The Hero of Lorelei marrying Kimlasca's beloved princess? It could usher in a real age of prosperity for Kimlasca. On top of it all, you are third in line to the throne and were supposedly previously engaged to her. You're the perfect candidate. Maybe the only candidate."

Luke grinned. "They're calling me the Hero of Lorelei?"

Jade looked annoyed. "Don't change the subject. They will want you to marry."

Luke looked ahead. Tear was looking at him, waiting for his answer.

"It's not gonna happen." he said simply.

"What?"

"I'm not willing to give up something that important to me for the good of the kingdom. Natalia may be willing to give up on Guy for the good of the country, but I'm not like that. I'm not Natalia. I'm not Asch. I'm Luke." He looked at Tear. "There are things that matter more to me than Kimlasca."

Tear blushed bright red.

Anise turned red as well. "T-thats... SO ROMANTIC! I can't believe Luke said something like that! Like, wow! Wow!"

Jade pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You youngsters are so cute."

Luke now felt very self-conscious. "I-I've had a lot of time to think since I woke up," he offered in explanation, looking to the side. He coughed nervously. "Let's go, Guy and Natalia are probably getting annoyed at us." He hesitated for a moment, then intertwined his fingers with Tear's and led her off, hand in hand. Anise skipped after them, singing "Luke and Tear, sitting in a tree." Luke yelled something at Anise. She yelled an insult back, then squealed with laughter as Luke let go of Tear's hand and started chasing after her. Tear just shook her head an sighed, following after them. One could tell that she was fighting an amused smile, however.

Jade looked at their retreating forms. "Hmm... I wonder if it'll really be as easy as all that. This'll be interesting to watch." He grinned one of his evil grins and followed after them.

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**Author's Note:**_ Well, that's it. This is pretty much how I saw the end scene going down. That's Luke at the end, not Asch or some kind of combined Luke/Asch consciousness. Everything else is stuff that would help me mold it into an ongoing story, I guess. Please leave a review if you have anything to say at all, from grammar nitpicks to not liking how my writing flows together or even if you disagree with how I think the ending goes. Or even more positive things, if you really want to. That's what the site's for, after all.  
_


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